AntsCanada wrote:I believe they escaped or he also let them go. Anyone who has experienced keeping Solenopsis geminata knows that the species is difficult to contain, hard to work around due to their powerful stings, and grow to enormous sizes to be able to keep practically for very long. I used to fear coming home because on so many occasions I would see a huge trail of ants from my formicarium leading to various drains in the kitchen, bathtub, and other such crevices due to them finding a weakness in my outworld barrier.

Oh. Didn't you do a video on escaped ants where you used a vacum to get them all and put them in the outworld again, if I remember correctly you had accidentally put 2 layers of repellant or something causing them to escape.

AntsCanada wrote:Wow! You're into herps, as well! Awesome. I recently had to give away my male red-tailed boa but he was just the best snake ever. Did you keep the scorpions together in a community?

Mikey

Yep I was into Herps also. And as far as the scorpions, with the Emperor's I didn't keep more then 5 in a tank at once. They can and will kill and eat one another if they feel over crowded. Seen it happen.

AntsCanada wrote:
I believe they escaped or he also let them go. Anyone who has experienced keeping Solenopsis geminata knows that the species is difficult to contain, hard to work around due to their powerful stings, and grow to enormous sizes to be able to keep practically for very long. I used to fear coming home because on so many occasions I would see a huge trail of ants from my formicarium leading to various drains in the kitchen, bathtub, and other such crevices due to them finding a weakness in my outworld barrier

Thats why I opted for a closed out world with my Solenopsis. They are far too crafty to have an open out world.

MadVampy

Head Forum Admin
Name is also Mike but please don't confuse me with Mikey Bustos, two different people.
Keeper of Solenopsis Ants.

antsbob15 wrote:Do an update video on your weaver ants while talking about that new product that will come out soon

Sadly, I released that amazing Weaver Ant colony. They grew to a size where it became impractical and to my conscience cruel to keep them in captivity any longer so I set them free. I tend to do that a lot. Catch queens, raise colonies from them to a certain size, then set them free. I personally just enjoy the experience of ant keeping, more than just owning a collection of huge ant colonies.

antsbob15 wrote:Do an update video on your weaver ants while talking about that new product that will come out soon

Sadly, I released that amazing Weaver Ant colony. They grew to a size where it became impractical and to my conscience cruel to keep them in captivity any longer so I set them free. I tend to do that a lot. Catch queens, raise colonies from them to a certain size, then set them free. I personally just enjoy the experience of ant keeping, more than just owning a collection of huge ant colonies.

I usually keep colonies for about 1-3 years. I suppose that is semi-permanent. Right now I have small 6 member Diacamma sp colony in a Hybrid Nest and these 6 workers have lived FOREVER it seems! 3 months for a worker is a long time, and they are going on 4 months soon! These ants are really cool, hardy pets. They have laid eggs but they never developed so I am assuming none of them are fertilized gamergates.

Thanks for taking a greater stance in support of native ant-keeping! A lot of young hobbyists have been very excited about the many local tropical ants on your channel and have become particularly enamored with exotic species. It's important to remind people that all ants are unique, and that foreign species are not inherently complicated or interesting just because you can't find them in your yard. I can't imagine being so bored of local ants before having any real experience with them.

I have tentative plans during the next North American anting season to try and show off some of the sophisticated adaptations of our local, "boring" ant genera, such as the enlarged Dufour's gland of raider Formica, which essentially lets them spread "fear gas" into the nests of the colonies that they raid. Also of interest might be the cultivation of fungi in the nests of Lasius umbratus, the generous cooperation between young Camponotus colonies and orphaned workers, the ceremonial ant wars of Tetramorium sp. E, and (of course) details about keeping our many social parasites. There are even scores of North American ants which nobody in the world has ever kept in captivity -- those seem much more interesting to me than importing somebody else's "boring" local ants.

If you enjoy my expertise and identifications, please do not put wild populations at risk of disease by releasing pet colonies. We are responsible to give our pets the best care we can manage for the rest of their lives.

Batspiderfish wrote:Thanks for taking a greater stance in support of native ant-keeping! A lot of young hobbyists have been very excited about the many local tropical ants on your channel and have become particularly enamored with exotic species. It's important to remind people that all ants are unique, and that foreign species are not inherently complicated or interesting just because you can't find them in your yard. I can't imagine being so bored of local ants before having any real experience with them.

I have tentative plans during the next North American anting season to try and show off some of the sophisticated adaptations of our local, "boring" ant genera, such as the enlarged Dufour's gland of raider Formica, which essentially lets them spread "fear gas" into the nests of the colonies that they raid. Also of interest might be the cultivation of fungi in the nests of Lasius umbratus, the generous cooperation between young Camponotus colonies and orphaned workers, the ceremonial ant wars of Tetramorium sp. E, and (of course) details about keeping our many social parasites. There are even scores of North American ants which nobody in the world has ever kept in captivity -- those seem much more interesting to me than importing somebody else's "boring" local ants.

Ditto!! Get to know the wonderful and exciting species in your local area. You will be amazed at how cool they are!!